Originally published in Hideaway Lake News Nov 1, 2020
After a rough year, many of us may not feel the spirit of the holiday season. The traditional Thanksgiving meal may not happen for some of us and for others it may look very different from the usual. Regardless of how the celebration actually looks, we can, however, always find things to be thankful for. If nothing else, we can find joy in and be grateful for the simple pleasures of daily living. There is no reason we should restrict expressing our thankfulness to Thanksgiving Day. We can do it every day by keeping a gratitude journal or sharing things we’re thankful for at the dinner table each night. Research tells us that just the act of being thankful, when done regularly, has several health benefits, including improved mood, better sleep, lower blood pressure and greater overall well-being.
Now that you have found a cheap and easy way to boost your health, the next is to figure out how to safely celebrate all those wonderful things in your life this holiday season. If you are a person at very high risk of severe coronavirus disease, you may choose to forgo the entire extended family Thanksgiving dinner this year. If so, please make sure to find ways to still stay connected with your family. You could Zoom while eating so you feel like you’re part of the larger family, record your cooking and upload the videos to engage with family and friends or Facetime with your grandchildren while you bake pies. Use that wonderful technology to your advantage!
If you choose to have a gathering of family members from different households, here are some tips to help reduce the risk of a “super spreader” event. One way is to simply cut the number of people in half by having two groups meet at different venues instead of one. You can mix the groups up so you can see some of the other family over Christmas. This will reduce your risk to half by only exposing you to half the number of people at a time. Additionally, each family can bring a cooked dish from home rather than many people cooking together in the host’s kitchen, as is often done during holiday meals. This prevents crowding, thereby cutting risk. Another place to avoid crowding is at the buffet table. Families from each household can get food as a group, rather than people from different households standing in line mixed in with each other. Also have one person serving food rather than everyone handling the serving utensils. Next, instead of everyone sitting around a table, have some of the high risk people sit farther apart with their own TV trays so they are not exposed while eating without masks.
Finally, when it’s time to watch TV, divide the group into halves or thirds, instead of everyone crowding together in the den. Maybe some can be in the den and others in the living room or one of the bedrooms. It may not be as much fun as everyone in the same room, but at least it’s better than you sitting at home watching TV by yourself with a frozen dinner on your lap.
You can choose to focus on the negative and complain about how this is no way to celebrate the holidays, or you can focus on the positive and the things that you can still do, the family that you have, the good health that you enjoy and the lovely home that you live in and find innovative ways to still celebrate your life and the wonderful people in it.
Give extra thanks this holiday season for your health and happiness!